The present disclosure herein relates to semiconductor devices and, more specifically, to magnetic memory devices.
With the advent of high-speed and low-power consumption electronic devices, built-in memory devices are required that can perform fast read and write operations and that have a low operating voltage. Magnetic memory devices have been studied as memory devices that may meet these requirements. Due to their high-speed operation and non-volatile characteristics, magnetic memory devices have been hailed as a potential next generation memory device.
A magnetic memory device may include a Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) pattern. An MTJ pattern may be formed by two (2) magnetic layers with a dielectric layer interposed therebetween and may have a different resistivity depending on the magnetization directions of the two magnetic layers. Specifically, an MTJ pattern may have a high resistivity when the magnetization direction of the two magnetic layers are anti-parallel to each other and may have a lower resistivity when the magnetization direction of the two magnetic layers is parallel to each other. This difference in resistivity may be used to store data in a magnetic memory device.